Portrait of J. S. Bach

Malhoa's 'Portrait of J. S. Bach,' painted in 1903, is an unusual departure from his documentary portraiture—a historical image of the Baroque composer who had been dead for over 150 years. This retrospective portrait was likely commissioned by the National Museum of Music in Lisbon as part of their effort to create a visual pantheon of musical history. Malhoa, as Portugal's most prominent portraitist, was the natural choice for such a commission, though he would have worked from existing iconography—primarily the Hausmann portrait of 1746—rather than a living subject.

As a posthumous historical portrait, the work translates existing Bach iconography into Malhoa's naturalist style. The challenge is conveying historical authenticity while applying a living painter's touch, balancing period costume and convention with Malhoa's characteristic confident brushwork.